030. FRIENDS

"You call that clean?" Harry heard a shrill voice ask. "This is how you do your job? Fucking hell. You're not even smart enough to use a goddamn mop!"

From his spot in the doorway, Harry noticed the way Rory tensed at the sound of Amber's voice. And when the blonde shoved the mop back in her hands, he knew she was a few seconds away from hitting Amber over the head with it.

Checking that the coast was clear and the power-hungry Assistant Manager had disappeared out of the bar, Harry emerged from his hiding spot.

"I don't know what she's on about," he said, leaning against the bar. "It looks pretty damn clean in here to me." Harry noticed how she held back her tears, and his smile vanished. "What is it?" he asked softly, walking over to her side. "Are you okay, Bambi?"

Rory glanced to the side. "What are you doing here?" she asked, dunking the mop into the bucket.

"You didn't come outside, so I wanted to make sure you were okay." Harry grabbed hold of her arm, stopping her from resuming her cleaning. "Rory, this place is spotless. You don't need to listen to her."

"Yes, I do."

"Why?"

"Because if I don't, she'll fire me."

"Who cares?"

Rory pulled her arm out from his grasp. "I do," she replied shortly. "I can't lose this job."

"Why not? Are you seriously trying to tell me another bar isn't going to hire you, Rory? You bring in a fuck ton of money. You could get a job anywhere."

"You don't get it."

"I had you as an employee, Rory. Of course, I get it."

"No, you don't!" she yelled, angrily dunking the mop into the soapy water, causing it to splash out of the bucket and onto the floor. "You're a guy, so you don't fucking get it because you'll never be in my position." She slammed the mop against the floor. "This is the first job I've had where I said no to my boss trying to fuck me, and he actually listened. That never happens. Either you get forced into it and hope to god that after a hundred showers, you wash their grimy smell off of you, or you manage to get away. And most of the time, you don't get away. So it's easy for you to say, oh, go get another job, Rory! But it's not that simple, and it's sure as hell not that fucking easy."

"Rory, I didn't-"

"And don't start with the working at your place bullshit. Alright?" she snapped. "I'm not going back there, and I can't handle that conversation again tonight."

Harry fell silent, watching from his spot as she unnecessarily got back to mopping the floors. It didn't last long - him standing and staying out of the way - before he was off to the supply closet and searching for an item.

Joining her side, he dunked his mop into the bucket and got to work.

Rory looked over at him. "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" he asked, "I'm cleaning an already incredibly clean floor."

"You don't have to help."

"I know I don't. But you missed a spot," he teased. "Careful now, Bambi. Don't get all distracted by my handsome looks and charming personality all of a sudden."

To everyone's surprise, Harry didn't complain once for the rest of the night. Not when Rory decided to mop the floors for a third time, wipe down every surface countless times or clean every hidden corner. Instead of uttering a complaint or commenting on how pointless it was, he was right by her side, helping every step of the way.

Finally settling into the car for their drive home, Rory looked over at him and said, "Thank you for helping me. You didn't have to do any of that."

"No need to thank me," he said, starting the engine. "But you should know, Rory, that I'm sorry."

"You're getting quite good at saying that word."

"Only to you," he told her honestly. "But I am sorry. I don't understand what your position is like, and I never will."

Rory averted her eyes to her lap.

"There are options if you want to work somewhere else, Rory. Somewhere that isn't a bar."

"I like working at a bar."

"Well, I'm sure you also like being able to buy yourself groceries."

A smile crept its way across her lips. "But that's what I have you for."

"Bambi, I would pay your entire fucking rent for you. However, I don't think your boyfriend would appreciate that." He paused briefly before asking, "What does Andrew think about this?"

"First of all, he's not my boyfriend. We're just dating," she clarified. "Second of all, he doesn't know."

"He doesn't?"

"He knows I've been struggling a bit with my shifts but other than that... nothing."

"Why haven't you told him?"

She shrugged. "He would just worry."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"Yes. I don't want him to worry about me. He's such an angel... I think he would drive himself insane trying to make everything better."

Harry gave her a small smile. "Seems like you got yourself a nice guy there, Bambi."

"I do." She looked down at her hands. "You know, it's weird. In another world, I think you and Andy would be friends."

"Really? Why do you say that?"

"Aside from the whole killing thing and crime empire you've got going on, you two like a lot of the same stuff. I noticed he likes some of the same music you do. And he collects records too."

"Maybe I should give him a call then." Harry stopped the car outside her apartment. "Make a new friend."

Assuming he was joking, she laughed along and said, "Oh, yeah. I bet you're going to get right on that."

Harry hated to admit it, but he despised the days Rory didn't work. He had no excuse to see her on the nights she had off. And with everything in his world crashing down and spiralling out of control, the time he spent with her made everything feel calm - at least, for that brief moment. That's all he needed, those thirty minutes with her in the car, to keep pushing forward.

However, he could see the toll that work was taking on her. She smiled less; her eyes looked unnaturally disinterested in everything around her. At first, he assumed it was due to his presence until Colson mentioned the same thing after he drove her home for a second night.

"She didn't even argue with me. Not once! It was fucking weird," Colson said after dropping her off.

No matter how often Harry asked if she was okay, Rory would respond with the same forced smile and say, "I'm fine," before changing the topic or falling silent.

The more time they spent together, the more Harry realized he was experiencing firsts with her. Rory was the first person he ever apologized to. She was the first person he cared about the mental and physical well-being of. And, she was the first he was truly falling for. He may have experienced those things with Juliet. But back then, there was a demon inside him, playing along. This was the first time Harry - only Harry - had these thoughts and feelings for someone else.

And knowing she was struggling left him with an urge to do something about it.

Strumming his fingers against the bar, Harry watched as Amber walked down the employees-only hallway and opened the side door. "Get inside," her shrill voice yelled.

"I'm on a break."

"Yeah? Well, tough shit. You need to get inside."

"How about no."

Amber crossed her arms over her chest. "How about you get inside before I make you scrub the floors tonight with a toothbrush?"

Harry could hear a loud, unhappy sigh before Rory appeared in the doorway with an unlit cigarette tucked behind her ear and stormed down the hall. Her steps suddenly stopped as she spotted Harry leaning against the bar.

"W-what's going on?"

"Your boyfriend is demanding that he'll only buy a drink from you."

Rory glared at the blonde. "He's not my boyfriend."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Is he one of your clients?" Amber spat viciously. Turning her attention to Harry, she said, "You can order your drink now, but then Rory has to return to her real job."

"Well, unfortunately, the group I'm with," Harry motioned to the group of people behind him, "Would also like to order from her. And since we're quite thirsty, I expect your server will be busy for the rest of the night."

Rory's eyes widened, seeing the tables full of familiar faces. Colson and Dallas sat in a booth while workers from his bar were at another. Even Benny and Mia were there - which surprised her since Mia made it clear she did not trust Harry's new attempt at friendship.

"You are so going to pay for this," Amber muttered to Rory before storming off, going straight for the office.

"I don't care what she does to me." Rory looked to Harry, wearing a smile he hadn't seen in days. "Did you put all of this together?"

He nodded. "I mean, I just promised everyone a free first round as long as they showed up. It didn't take much work after that."

A vivid thought flashed through his mind, picturing Rory leaning over the bar and kissing him. Not to thank him, but just because she wanted to. It felt so real; his lips tingled as if she had done it. But she remained in the same spot with an apparent glow of happiness as her eyes surveyed the crowd.

"I guess I better get to work then!"

Just as Rory grabbed a notepad and pen, the front door busted open.

"Ah, damn. I missed the grand reveal!" Andrew said, hurrying over to Rory's side. "Sorry, the meeting ran late."

Quickly removing the cigarette behind her ear, Rory shoved it into her pocket before Andrew noticed. "W-what are you doing here?"

"Harry told me!" He leaned forward, giving her a quick kiss. "And I brought some of the guys from work. But don't worry, you do your thing. We'll just be at the table ready to order the most expensive drinks you got. Alright?"

She nodded with a smile. "Alright."

With a quick greeting to Harry - one oddly friendly from Rory's point of view - Andrew waved his friends over to a table and got settled in.

"He doesn't like you smoking?"

Rory turned her attention to Harry. "What?"

"You got rid of your cig the moment he came in," he commented. "So, does he not like you smoking?"

"He's never said anything about it. But I've been trying to cut back." She tapped her fingers against the bar top. "Did you actually invite him?"

"Of course," Harry said. "Why wouldn't I?"

"I don't know. I didn't realize you two spoke."

"Well, in his defence, I told him not to say anything because I didn't want to ruin the surprise."

"Oh," she tapped her pen against the notepad. "You didn't tell Andy anything, right?"

"No. I only gave him the same information you did. That you weren't getting the best shifts."

"Okay. Good."

Sensing her nerves, he calmly said, "Don't worry, Rory. I only invited him because it seemed like the right thing to do. You and I are friends - at least, I hope we are - and I assumed it was only right to get to know him better. After all, I said I would give him a call."

"I didn't think you were serious."

"Well, as much as I would love to bore you about our shared music interest and vinyl collections, I think the group of thirty people behind me would like to order a drink."

Rory picked up her notepad, made her way around the bar and started taking people's orders. As Harry settled into a booth with his two friends, he watched her go from table to table. The more she worked and interacted with people, the more Harry noticed the old Rory making a return.

The crowd began shuffling out of the bar at the end of the night. Harry spotted Rory escape to have a cigarette in the alley.

Hearing someone step outside, her eyes widened, but she was instantly relieved when she saw it was only Harry. "Oh, thank god. I thought you were Andy."

"You know, a little birdie told me you split all those tips you got tonight," he said, walking to her.

"I felt bad taking away their earnings when I'm not even supposed to be on the floor." She blew out her final puff of smoke and dropped the dead butt onto the ground, rubbing it out with her shoe. "Even with what I have leftover, I've made more tonight than I have in weeks." Leaning against the brick wall, she added, "Thank you, by the way, for tonight. This... this meant a lot to me, Harry."

"It was nothing, Bambi. But, before I go," he reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. "I need to give you your tip. And you can't go splitting this one."

Her attention was pulled to the brown leather in his hands as he flipped it open. She saw it right away. The pictures from the photobooth of them together were still in his wallet. He kept her picture in his wallet. Her heart thumped wildly as a flood of warmth filled her chest; she hadn't had that feeling in quite a while.

Harry, oblivious to what Rory had noticed, pulled the bills of cash out and asked, "Are you alright?"

"I'm just thinking."

"About?"

"Everything."

Harry smiled. "That's a lot to think about, Bambi." He handed over the cash to her. "For your excellent service tonight."

She looked down at the money in her hand. It was a generous tip; far more money than she had seen recently or expected to receive knowing what his bill cost. Rory wasn't one to turn down money. Considering her hot water had been turned off, she wasn't going to start now. Pocketing the cash, she said, "Did you really tell Andy about tonight?"

"I did," he replied. "Andrew is a nice guy, and I enjoyed getting to know him a bit more tonight."

"Why did you invite him?"

"Because you two are together, and it felt wrong to exclude him from such a thing." Harry stepped forward. "You like him, don't you?"

"I do."

"Are you sure about that, Bambi?"

She nodded. "There's just one problem."

"Oh?" His brow raised with intrigue. "What's that?"

"He's not you."

"I thought that would be a good thing."

A small smile tugged on her lips. "So did I." Rory took a step towards him, minimizing the distance between them even more. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in for a hug. "Thank you."

"You already said that," he mumbled against her neck.

"I know."

With his arms wrapping around her and hands sprawling across her back, Harry allowed himself a moment of silence to enjoy her being so close. His eyes closed as his scenes filled with her intoxicating scent of vanilla. He missed that; he missed her; he missed everything about them. And it felt like they had it all back for those brief few seconds.

In a perfect world, Rory would have leaned her head back only slightly to allow their noses to brush. There would have been an unknown pause while one waited for the other to pull away completely. But neither of them would. They would blame the other for caving first. But by the end, who kissed who wouldn't matter because they would be far too busy enjoying the moment to care.

Harry wouldn't have to dream about living in a different situation in a perfect world. He would just be living in it.

When Rory leaned her head back, he prepared himself for nothing to happen. Their noses didn't brush, but she stayed close enough to where Harry felt a glimmer of hope. Her eyes flickered from his to his lips and back.

They stood in silence, staring at one another as if waiting for the other to make the first move. He swore he saw her lean forward to test the waters. If only his Bambi knew the thoughts running through his head. In a risky move, his hand left the spot of her hip and cupped her cheek. Harry almost regretted doing such a thing until he felt her lean into his touch.

This was their moment in a perfect world. Rory didn't pull away, and he could tell she didn't want to.

Harry leaned forward. He heard her suck in a nervous breath as their lips were inches away. Never had he wanted to kiss someone more than at this very moment.

His lips brushed against hers with the lightest touch.

But Rory pulled away, practically jumping back, at the sound of the back door swinging open. She stood confused as if trying to comprehend what had almost happened. Her fingers gently touched her bottom lip. Her eyes were wide, staring at him with a look of bewilderment.

Harry didn't know what to say; he was at a loss for words.

"See! I told you they would be out here!" Andrew said in a cheerful tone, making his way over.

Colson shot Harry an apologetic look. "You were right," he said with a forced smile.

Watching Andrew greet Rory with a kiss, Harry wished, more than anything, that he had a bottle of alcohol in his hand. If he had to watch it happen, he at least wanted to drown out the mental image with a bottle of something that had the power to make it a hazy memory.

"Are you alright?"

She nodded. "I'm just tired. I haven't had a night like that in a while - I guess I'm a bit out of practice."

"Well, let's get you home then." Taking her hand, Andrew looked at Harry and said, "Thanks again for putting this all together. And let me know about that concert next week!"

Keeping himself collected, Harry replied, "Of course. You two have a good night."

As the couple walked off, he could hear Rory ask, "You guys are going to a concert?"

Harry wondered how she was taking in that information, whether she was wondering if it was a plot or part of some scheme. In all honesty, it was nothing more than a discussion that happened naturally. Harry wanted to hate the guy, but there was something genuine about him. Although, Harry couldn't help but still wonder if it was all an act. There was no way someone that nice of a person truly existed.

"I'm sorry, Haz."

Harry looked to the side. "For what?"

"You know..." Colson nodded off in their direction.

Harry gave his friend a sympathetic smile. "It's alright. Tonight wasn't about that," he said, looking forward. He noticed Rory turned her head slightly, catching his glance. "I just wanted to make her happy."

And for the first time in his life, Harry meant it.

He knew it in his heart to be true, whether that was with or without him.

Harry wanted his Bambi to be happy. 

if you're like rory & wanna know what the heck harry does when he's not driving her home, get excited for the next few chappies :)